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Everybody’s favourite time sink, Wikipedia, has lost its challenge against the UK’s Online Safety Act. Unless it finds another avenue to challenge this new law, you’ll either have to upload your ID to verify your identity or use a VPN if you want to continue reading and editing anonymously.
Various online entities, including the Wikimedia Foundation, have voiced concerns over the unseen consequences of the Act. While using a VPN circumvents many of its provisions, Wikimedia Foundation has expressed concern that if Wikipedia’s contributors’ identities had to be verified, access to its site would be reduced. Using a VPN for gaming is one thing, but it being a requirement when trying to access informative content is another.
In dismissing the case, Judge Jeremy Johnson nevertheless stated that the Wikimedia Foundation could make a further challenge if the UK’s communications regulator Ofcom “concludes that Wikipedia is a Category 1 service.” To be classified as Category 1, Wikipedia would need to prove that it has over seven million monthly site users, that it features a content recommendation system, and that it allows sharing. However, Wikipedia’s operations should not be impeded by Ofcom or the UK government, according to the judge.
While using a great VPN service (we’ve listed the best VPN choices in a handy list for you) offers a way around these restrictions, the classification of an online resource that has helped many people with school, college, or work as the same as an adult video site, seems short-sighted at best, and indicates that more effort is required in defining online content in the Act. Ofcom has stated it will “continue to progress […] work in relation to categorized services”.
Opposition to the Act has been strong, with a petition to repeal it generating over 500,000 signatures, while the Electronic Frontier Foundation declared that the legislation actually doesn’t make children safer online.
If you’re thinking of getting a VPN in light of all this, read our list of the best gaming VPN services, where we’ve tested VPN services, like NordVPN, Proton VPN, SurfShark, Cyberghost, or ExpressVPN, and others.
